In Ireland, with the introduction of the Assisted Decision Making Capacity Act (ADMCA) 2015, there is a move to supported decision making to restore autonomy and respect the human dignity of each person. The guiding principle is that a person should be supported to make decisions for themselves (Donnelly 2016). Under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), there has been a move away from the use of the ICD-10 classification of disability to the language of “those who require intensive support”, which focuses more on supports needed rather than the diagnosis of intellectual disability (Stefansdottir et al 2018).

The struggle to secure a job
My name is Mei Lin Yap, I’m 29 years old and I am a young woman and I think of myself more “Like” than “Unlike” everyone else. I am a citizen just like any other!
Oh, and by the way I have Down Syndrome. I have been in the workforce for 11 and a half years but many people with disabilities are not as “lucky” as me.

This subject is not an easy one, and is still a taboo topic for many parents, but I believe that our DS sons and daughters will show us the way, as they are naturally loving and caring, and enter relationships easily without any of the hypocrisy usually associated with the subject.

Frontline's special 'best of the year' edition is here!
Fully printable.
For those that still enjoy a hard copy-Please pass it on.
http://frontline-ireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/frontline-2017-Christmas.pdf
Have a lovely Christmas everyone.

DCU - MSc in Intellectual Disability Nursing Practice
In Dublin City University (DCU)’s School of Nursing and Human Sciences, they have developed a postgraduate educational framework for nurses and .....

From the Archives:

As I mentioned in my first article, Julien’s health problems took precedent over his handicap. His biggest problem after his digestive problems was his hearing problem. Julien suffered from fluctuating deafness. He had glue ear for many years, so he was fitted with an ear aerator each year which very often didn’t remain long enough in his ears. So it was decided to enlarge his external auditory canal to no avail. I was shocked when the ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor didn’t suggest doing a hearing test to check Julien’s hearing capacity. I was told that the paediatrician or the speech therapist had to request it.

Julien’s love of animals and in particular horses when he was young, led us to believe that he might have a future in that field. He used to go riding with his brother and sister on a day’s outing with a picnic and he took some lessons in a friend’s riding school.

It was with much sadness and regret that I learnt belatedly of the death of Gerry Ryan in October 2017 after a short illness. Gerry was General Secretary of the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland N.A.M.H.I. from 1981 to 2001. N.A.M.H.I. is now known as Inclusion Ireland.

I am an autistic mother to six autistic children. Like any other family, it is love and understanding that binds us, but our struggle to advocate, be understood and supported as autistic family members when work with professionals, therapists, schools has nearly torn us apart mentally, physically and emotionally.

I like to travel and I have been to lots of different places around the world. I have travelled to France, Italy, Spain, England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand my family. I also went to Greece in 2011, where I represented Ireland in Men’s Basketball at the World Special Olympic Games. ...